Could Tithing Lead Some Americans to Lose Their Homes?

Tithing is the practice of donating 10% of your gross income to your church. It’s not a common practice (only 5% of American adults tithe), but it’s important to those who choose to do so. It’s a component not just of Christianity, but other religions as well.

But what happens when tithing interferes with your ability to pay the mortgage? The USA Today article explores this conflict.

“I’ve had home owners who face foreclosure sitting in front of me saying, ‘I’ll do anything, anything to keep my home,” said Ozell Brooklin, director of Acorn Housing in Atlanta, a nonprofit which offers foreclosure counseling.

“But after we’ve gone through their monthly expenses and the only thing left to cut is their tithe, they say ‘I guess this home is not for me’ and they walk away,” he said.

The article discusses just how important this conviction is for some people, and how they’re willing to sacrifice their homes in order to continue tithing. “To stay current on the $500 monthly mortgage, [one woman] was faced with giving up a tithe to her local evangelical church of around $200 a month. Instead, she let the property go into foreclosure.”

For many people, tithing is the most important part of their budget. Even before the age-old admonition to “pay yourself first” (which means to set money aside into savings before paying your bills), these folks donate money to church or charity. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it can lead to financial decisions that most people never face.

But is tithing really the reason some people face foreclosure? Or is the financial distress a symptom of deeper problems?

Tithing is another reminder that financial decisions aren’t all about the numbers. Our personal convictions affect our choices. I frequently say that money is more about mind than it is about math; our decisions are influenced more by our psychology and emotions than they are by the arithmetic of the situation. But sometimes our financial decisions are also subject to other forces, such as religious beliefs and personal convictions.

Note: Get Rich Slowly does not take a stand on religious or political issues. I’m presenting this topic for discussion because I think it’s fascinating, not because I want to promote or denigrate any particular point of view. Although I don’t tithe to church or charity, I respect and admire those who do. Please be considerate in the comments.

My employer contributes significantly to a local charity, with one of our biggest fund-raisers being an annual auction. On an individual level, they have set up a very clever contribution scheme: we are permitted to wear jeans once a week for ‘casual’ day, but we contribute $5 each time we do so. At the end of the year, we get a tax receipt for the total. Wearing jeans is totally optional, so no one is obligated to donate. However, because we are contributing to something we might do anyway, it makes the process all the more effective.

I can only admire those who are able to so concisely prioritize their financial spending. If giving up ownership of a home in order to contribute to your faith community is in keeping with your values, others should respect that choice.

I am not advocating homelessness or dependence on public assistance in order to keep giving a tithe, but if you move from a 4-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom apartment so that you can continue to tithe, that appears to me to be a values-led decision, and a financially responsible one.

There are plenty of homeowners out there who are facing foreclosure but still have 2 cars, cable TV, new clothes and dinners out. These are also values-led decisions.

And while less than 5% of Americans tithe, a far larger percentage give to charity on a regular basis.

Tithing and other acts of faith are a concrete act of financial humility and selflessness, a concept foreign in an increasingly secular and economically frightened society.
At the heart of it, faith-based tithing is a commitment of giving back to God a share of what God gave to us. That giving (tithing and other charitable giving in a community) is the source of a great deal of resources rescuing those in over their heads. I received many thousand dollars from my church when I was laid off and going through a divorce simultaneously. I know what giving and receiving both feel like, and there is a great deal of humilty in both acts.
Humans like to believe that they are in control of much more than is actually in their control. Tithing represents the saving grace of giving and receiving charity that isn’t earned but is given freely anyway. If one attempts to understand it solely in terms of finances one can’t possibly see its value.

In the Psalms, God says: “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” God owns everything, and yet He still asks us to tithe. As a Christian, I truly believe that God does own the cattle on a thousand hills, and so any money I have is only because God was gracious to me (even if I “earned” it at my job). Because I believe it is already His, it is not a burden or a struggle to give back ten percent.

Like others have said in some comments before me, the Bible doesn’t teach that God will bless you in proportion to your tithe. We tithe because it requires us to trust in the God who is bigger than the economy, Ben Bernanke, loan officers and mortgages.

As Christians, we place our hope in these words from Psalm 37: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.”

I’m a pastor. I teach people to give and that this is a function of learning to live within their means. I only make $50k/year and I regularly give 25% of my income to church, charity, etc. But in living like that, I have no debts, my home is totally paid for (worth $350k). My wife and I also have more than the average number of kids (6) and we’re not living on someone else’s income. I’ve learned an important lesson, you can’t outgive God…. But I don’t expect that to make sense to everyone.

I don’t give that information above as a way of bragging. I simply say, that when American’s learn to stop living on credit and live within their means, the sky is the limit and it’s surprising what can really happen in people’s lives in the way they can give and help others.

I’m a member of the LDS church and I believe that EVERYTHING I have in my life is because of the Lord. 10% of our family’s income is the least we can give after all He has done for us, even if that means some of our other debts go unpaid for the time being. It takes tremendous faith to make that decision when faced with financial difficulty. We have been there, yes even when facing foreclosure, and we have been blessed because we followed the commandment of tithing and were able to avoid that pitfall.

I believe wholeheartedly that through faithfulness we will be blessed in ways that have much more importance and eternal consequence than just finances. I am inspired by stories of people who live their faith so completely, that they will give up their greatest possessions to follow the gospel. I think that is amazing.

J.D. I’m a Christian and I do give my 10%. Though this would go extremely well towards my bills and obligations, I have another obligation which takes priority and that is my dues to God. In the bible we read about times where we will be “tested” to ascertain just how strong our faith is in our beliefs. Some Christians have reneged on their oath, but the steadfast ones are adhering regardless of foreclosure. In Canada we do get a tax rebate but it’s nothing substantial. The question that most have on their mind is, “do I favour my temporary house on Earth, vs. my mansion in heaven”. With the current trade deficit reaching nearly 6.9Trillion we are headed for rough times ahead. Further Reading

We’ve run into a similar situation, in that my husband lost his job recently–2/3 of the household income gone. Two factors have turned this into a stress-free, semi-leisurely search for new–and better– employment:

1) 6 months ago, I became insanely committed to getting our finances in order. The fed government funded my brand new emergency fund, via the economic stimulus. I read a ton of stuff, we cut spending, started saving, and committed ourselves to a weekly spending plan.

2) The 11.5% of our gross income we normally give away. New Testament doesn’t state ten percent, it states generously. So we started small (3%) and steadily increased as we made more money. Not a lot, we’re talking $65K a year, but disgustingly wealthy by world standards. My feeling is that 10 is a lot of money at low income, and a drop in a bucket at high income. If you’re making 500,000, are you really missing that 50K? Is it hard to live on 450K? Really, I’m curious.

We did call our church and cut our giving back temporarily until we’re fully employed again. It’s minimal now, not non-existent, and as soon as we’re employed we’ll stick to that bare bones budget and replenish the amount we missed, along with our savings if need be. Other folks are making up part of our giving for us, too, on top of their own.

But I look at this as a gift to our family; because we were doing without this money already, we aren’t even close to being as stressed as we would have been. Because we were on track starting six months ago, we were more prepared than we’d ever been for something like this. I am a Christian, and I do believe God knew what was on the horizon, even though it was a total shock to us. I thought at the time I might have been going overboard with how intense I was about finances… but apparently I was as intense as we would need me to be six months down the road.

What it boiled down to was with a bare bones budget and giving downsized, savings on hold, we were short 500 bucks a month. 500 bucks! That amazed me.

Giving away money–a generous amount of money–I consider to be a protection, against greed, against living above your means, and now against unemployment. Sure, had we been saving that much, the situation would have been the same. But I don’t think saving alone puts the same kind of hedge around the greed that can lead to financial ruin in the first place. And parting with money keeps you mindful of how much you have in the first place. All that is beyond what it can do for others…

(And I am sorry I didn’t have the time to write a short comment. I have to plan a budget for October.)

I have been a Christian and studier of the Bible for over twenty years. I did a comprehensive study of the tithe ever since attending evangelical churches that made it out to sound like God’s curse is upon those that do not tithe (an idea taken from the Old Testament book of Malachi). I investigated the entire use of the tithe because I think everyone should investigate and not blindly follow church leaders. Also, when something could possibly be manipulation it is a good idea to investigate. After studying the Bible, I found that all mentions except one of the Biblical tithe are in the Old Testament. The onlt mention in the New Testament was by Jesus (before there was an established Christian church) responding to a Jew who told him that he tithed and did a lot of noble things and wanted to know what else he needed to do. Jesus replied that yes, he should tithe, but also not neglect to love. So Jesus appears to endorse tithing at least for the Jews. Now for some history of the tithe… The tithe was instituted so there would be plenty of food in the Temple. Why? Because one of the twelve tribes of Israel (the Levites) were not allowed to work for pay. They were to take care of the Temple and live off the 10% offerings of the other tribes. It was, in essence, the national tax of Israel. This explains why Christians were never commanded to tithe. Even the Apostle Paul, who admitted to being a strict Pharisee and therefore had to be a tither, never preached tithing in his epistles to the churches. He knew there was no one Christian temple and certainly no tribe (or race) of people that needed financial dependence for maintaining such a structure. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul instructs us to give what God has purposed in our hearts. So should Christians tithe? One thing for certain: No one should be telling Christians they must tithe. Jesus definitely spoke against witholding money from someone that is owed money. Not paying the mortgage payment when the money is available sounds like not paying a debtor to me. So can a person tithe, yet be sinning? Hmmm… sounds like it, doesn’t it? Are pastors and church leaders sinning when they guilt people into paying tithes? Yes, if they are manipulating people for their own gain. No, if they are truly duped into believing that the practice is God’s command. But pastors and church leaders should know everything that I have researched to be true. And yes, I have witnessed people who faithfully tithed amidst personal finanical crises who lost homes and businesses and filed for bankruptcy. Shame on the churches who did not help these poor, gullible givers. I hope my response has liberated a lot of Christians who still continue to give generously to a good institution without hurting their debtors and their families in whom they are also indebted. Or possibly a neighbor in need if they feel led to help them out one week instead of their church. The Old Testament Temple was a building, the New Testament Church is the people, not a building. Finally… if the United States ever wants to abolish their current tax code and replace it with ancient Israel’s 10% flat tax, I’m all for it! I’ll have more money to give elsewhere!

I’m not religious. I certainly support generosity, and generously did I give…when I had the money. For well over a year I’ve been insolvent, and sometimes I still manage to a give a little, but I figure, no one will be able to benefit from me if I become one of those in need. The idea that, if I act irrationally in a crisis, I will be rewarded, is one of the (many) things about religion that I think is…bad. There. I said it. It’s bad.

If tithing is the difference in losing or keeping a house they probably shouldn’t have purchased that expensive of a house in the first place. (With the obvious exception of for those who’s circumstances have changed since purchase.)

I hope if I were ever in that situation that I would choose tithing over keeping a house. In the end if 10% of your income is the difference in keeping the house or not, then you probably aren’t going to be able to keep it anyway.

This very subject has been in the back of my mind for quite a while. You see inspite of being long term Christians we’ve never had the cash to give tithe beyond a bit of hit and miss. When my wife and I started attending church again after a long sojourn we both made a decision that we would start giving tithe, we like Melanie started off small and slowly increased it as our faith increased. An amazing thing started as our giving increased, our money started going further and further, at first my Wife wasn’t so sure but after a year of steadily increasing our tithe (still haven’t hit 10% yet) she’s become convinced and said to go for the whole shot. I’m not quite read to set up a standing order (still prefer to write the cheque control thing) but I’m getting there.

OK what about the “what abouts”

Those that give tithe and suffered for it? Well I’d answer it 3 ways.

1. A bit of common sense please!!!!!

I was discussing tithing with a friend who was very big into tithing when he made a comment, ” on occasion when money was tight we cut back but always made up for it latter” in other words he knew he had an obligation to pay his bills, so before buying that “42 HD Ready Flat Screen” he made sure his tithe was paid up.

2. God deals with each person as an individual

I really struggled with how much to share our “tithing” experience as the same time we are being blessed our cleaning lady (a Christian) is struggling greatly Spain goes through a major economic crisis. Why is God blessing us and not her?

I wish I could say that each Christian that gives tithe gets richer, better looking, more popular etc etc but it just doesn’t work that way. All I know is that God deals with us as individuals.

3. God blesses us in different ways, our Pastors Richard and Reijke don’t have much nice, all of there money and time is spent helping others, yet inspite of having a low income high rent and feeding large groups of visitors every week (try hosting a large BBQ every week and see what it does to your food budget) they never seem to run short.

On the issue of 10%

I think Billy Graham put it best. When asked about tithing, he said “ Most Christians find 90% goes further than 100%

I couldn’t agree more.

JD thanks for moderating the comments I really want to hear what people think both positive and negative

My family gives 10% of our gross income to our church. Our church also emphasizes strongly that we should always live within our means and not go into debt unless it is absolutely necessary. To me that translates into being frugal and knowing where your money is going. If you can’t afford it … don’t take it on. That will only cause heartache and unhappiness.

We moved out here to LA three years ago and I suppose we could have jumped into the housing fray; no one would have asked for money down or credit history or anything. We could have signed a paper and “owned” a $400K house, but we knew we couldn’t pay for it, so we rented a place instead. It’s not ideal, I’d love a house, but we can’t afford it.

Just because I exist doesn’t mean I’m owed a house, or a nice car I can’t afford, or whatever. Instead of thinking about what I’m owed, I acknowledge that everything I have comes from God (and I have a lot). Then I pay my tithing and use the rest of money I have left as responsibly as I can. It brings me happiness and peace to live this way.

I appreciate the respectful way you have created & kept this discussion going, JD. Props to you.

The problem is that tithe money for many people is not money you can move around on a spreadsheet. It is simply not _their_ money. When someone is told that they can fend off foreclosure by not tithing then that really translates to: Steal from God. Some would consider that irrational behavior, but I’m reminded that no one person can determine rational behavior for his neighbor. Indeed, it requires omniscience to understand what is objectively rational.

I do not believe that there is any Biblical basis for tithing. I spent several years studying the issue and I wrote a lengthy article about the topic. Please email me at kmtesq@aol.com if you would like a copy of the article. You can also find it on my myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/talleyesq The article is entitled “Am I A Thief: An Examination of Whether Tithing is Required By Christians)–under the blog section.

Before addressing the topic at hand, I wanted to say in summary what my Christian view is on tithing because it also sheds light on my response to this topic. I believe that churches who teach tithing are not teaching their congregants to live like true Christians in spiritual union with Jesus Christ. This is because the tithing doctrine contradicts the New Covenant and diminishes the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians are taught to put our faith in tithing as the source of our protection from evil/bad things/Satan and as a source of our blessings from God. This is directly contrary to what the Word of God tells us about our source of power from God based upon the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. There is numerous biblical support for this position.

Aside from the religious point of view, people who choose to tithe instead of pay their mortgage, as one of the posters indicated, do severe harm to our economy and their neighbors by allowing their home to go into foreclosure. This is a selfish act, particularly when the churches who they are giving their tithes to probably have excess money (i.e. the mega churches). The value of my home went down nearly $200,000 in a year because there were 12 foreclosures in the area. While those who chose to tithe to their church instead of pay their mortgage have been brainwashed into believing that they are doing God’s will, they are not and their conduct is harming others–including their own family. There are scriptures that say give what you have and not what you have not—there are also scriptures that tell you to take care of your family first.

I do not believe that any of these individuals can point to any Biblical support in the New Testament for what they are doing. I also do not believe that even the Old Testament scriptures support this practice for Christians.

As a Mormon, a full tithe has always been a principle strictly enforced by my church. But unlike many of my more orthodox LDS brothers and sisters, I’ve come to hold a very different interpretation of the scriptural injuction.

As a result, rather than tithe 10% of my gross income, I choose to tithe only 10% of my increase or surplus, the amount of leftover money after my most basic needs are covered. At this point in my life, I define my essential budget categories as rent, groceries, taxes, health insurance, gas and university tuition. I tithe on the rest.

Few other members would agree with my interpretation but I feel that I am following both the scripture and the spiritual promptings from God. My inclination is also to pay more of my tithing to charities, but within the LDS Church tithing is only really considered valid when the full 10% remitted to the church itself.

(The rest of my post is background and sorry it makes it so long…) For reference, here’s what the tithing scriptures (revealed in 1838) say:

4 And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.
5 Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you.
-Doctrine & Covenants Section 119

The Church Handbook of Instructions, a manual used by church leaders, cites a letter written in 1970 from the First Presidency of the Church defining “interest” as income. The only people exempt from paying tithing are listed as members entirely dependent on Church welfare and full-time missionaries.

It is interesting to note that prior to 1838, the Mormon Church did not require tithing but rather communal asset distribution known as the law of consecration. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Consecration
Members turned over all their property to the church, who then assigned them back stewardship of the property, but any excess was given to other members by the church. For better or for worse, members are no longer hold to this but to the more straightforward 10% doctrine.

This is an interesting topic; thank you for bringing it up so tactfully. I agree with the theme of a lot of the comments that said if you can’t live in 90% of your income, the problem likely isn’t the tithe but rather your lifestyle. My husband and I have tithed since we married (almost 5 1/2 years ago) and our needs have always been met – we don’t have the nicest car or the biggest house of all our friends, but we do have a pretty sweet TV In addition, we give to other charities – we’ve always felt that a tithe is our “obligation” much like any other bill, and other offerings should come on top of that. We make small contributions to a friend who works in college missions, the ASPCA (the puppies and kitties are so sad looking!) as well as sponsoring two children overseas, one in Indonesia and one in Ghana. If you’re looking for a way to get started in giving I’d highly recommend this – there are many organizations (both religious and secular) that offer child sponsorship, the cost is minimal and can be deducted automatically each month, and you know what your gift is going to directly rather than just going to some nebulous donor pool.

I am not a Christian, so I’ll talk in general about giving to charity vs paying for your home. I understand that religious obligations are stronger than just charitable giving, but some of the issues may be the same.

If a tenant not an owner chooses to give 10% to charity but then is unable to pay his rent, he not only can be evicted, he hurts others i.e. his landlord who has bills too.

Similarly, if somebody gives 10% and as a result loses his house, this person’s family suffers. But others suffer as well – their neighbors whose house values go down and who now may not be able to refinance; the whole neighborhood may be affected. Additionally, as we can see now, the whole economy suffers when a lot of people don’t pay their mortgage.

A mortgage is an obligation. I firmly believe that if you borrow money you have to pay it back. Is not meeting one’s obligation and indirectly hurting others less important than not giving 10% to the church? I don’t believe that hurting others is the right choice here.

I totally agree that people have to buy what they can afford, actually less than what they can afford. But unexpected things happen – the loss of a job, for example, or an illness. Regardless how one got into this situation, the choice is the same – fail on one’s obligations or reduce the amount of money one gives.

Hi JD:
There will always be excuses not to give or share with others, in the same way that there are always excuses not to save money or be frugal. This is why I do admire those who refused to cut down or stop tithing, although I am not religious. Even though their actions were leading them to financial failure, their hearts were in the right place. Agree or disagree with what they did, the point is that they felt it was more important than having a roof over their heads to help others.

This reminds me of one of my favorite stories from the Bible. Although as I mentioned, I am not Christian, I still find this story quite inspiring. Luke 21:1-4
And he looked up, and saw rich men dropping their gifts into the offering box. Then he noticed a destitute widow drop in two small copper coins. And he said “In truth, I tell you that this widow has put in more than all of the others. For all these put in gifts out of their abundance, and she out of her poverty hath put in all she had to live on.”

It is something I think about whenever I am considering giving to charity. I believe the moral of this is that giving to others is easy when we ourselves have so much we don’t know what to do with it. The true measure of charity is giving to others although you may have to sacrifice to do so. This is the definition of altruism, not to give because you expect that rewards will come to you because of it.

First, I’ll say that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (i.e. LDS or “Mormon” if you prefer) and I have grown up my entire life with the expectation and commandment to pay tithing. I can only speak for myself, but my financial decisions on the whole have been better for myself and my family when I have willingly and completely paid a full tithe as compared to period in my life where I did not.

My opinion on this is that, outside of the tangible charitable benefits (knowing that my money goes to help missionaries, build temples, and build meetinghouses around the world) and the intangible spiritual and religious benefits (those things that I have a testimony of, but would have a really hard time putting on a balance sheet), I believe that the main purpose of tithing is to make the person doing it change their mental paradigm as far as money is concerned. When we willingly and fully give 10% of our money off the top each pay period, we get into the mindset of being one who is a giver. By being a giver, we are able to see outside of ourselves into a broader community. In my world view, this helps to contribute greatly to a better feeling of contentment and to a willingness to budget and plan in ways that will ensure that the ability to give that 10% each month isn’t stopped.

I do not look at it in any way that God needs my money (he doesn’t, he already has everything), or that God will love me any less if I don’t do it (though I feel he will be disappointed that I’m not doing what he’s asked me to do, same way I feel when I ask my own kids to do something and they don’t; I still love them, but yes, I’d be disappointed in them). I look at it as this is a principle that God wants me to learn, that I should be one willing to share of what I have with others, even when it’s not convenient for me to do so. My being willing to do that has contributed greatly to our family being able to own a home free and clear in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, and to make ends meet on my one income in an area where two income families are seen as almost a necessity. I cannot say that tithing has been the sole reason, but it has helped attune me and my family in such a way that we make different choices and we’ve been able to benefit from those choices. We’ve had our challenges over the years, to be sure, but somehow, we’ve always managed to pull through. I don’t think it’s an accident that our paying tithing through good times and bad had a lot to do with that .

I don’t belong to a church and I’m not comfortable with organized religion, but I am a spiritual person, and I do believe in God.

When I was looking for a job two years ago, I found what I thought was the perfect job opening at the right company. The hiring process took a very long time (two months from the first interview), and I was anxious about whether or not they’d hire me. Finally, I decided to just let go and give it up to a higher power. If it was meant to be, it would happen. I also vowed to start giving money to a specific charity I had wanted to support as soon as I found a job. I did get the job, and I still give to the charity every month. I’m looking for a couple more causes to support, as well. Yes, I helped myself first, and now I’m able to help others. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with that. If someone loses their home, how much are they going to be able to give then?

Giving is important to me, but not because the Bible says to give some preset percentage. I just believe in helping those less fortunate in self-sustaining ways (the charity I support helps women in war-torn countries start their own businesses). I feel as though I have always been lucky in life and have never gone without, and giving is the only way I can deal with so much of what I read in the news. I have to do something, however small, to help those who have not been as lucky as I.

I get letters from the woman I’m matched with in the program, and hearing about her progress and her accomplishments makes her situation, and the situation of so many more, seem that much more hopeful. That is what I get out of giving.

Christianity (and tithing) is not nearly as complex or mind-numbingly stupid as some people think it is.

Clearly, God isn’t going to be better off if we give 10%. Obviously, God is not a guaranteed-win slot machine who will always return our tithe with interest.

There’s a faith-based assumption that underlies the entire Bible: Ultimate satisfaction is found only in God. Wealth will not provide that satisfaction. If a person fully embraces this assumption, tithing is a natural consequence.

It doesn’t seem make a ton of sense. If it did make sense, evangelizing would be much easier. But it makes sense for those who have accepted it and, as evidenced by the fact that they value their house less than they value their conviction, this fundamental assumption is very powerful.

Giving not necessarily means you have to give material things. It could be other non-tangible things such as your time or your expertise. I know a financially struggling 27 year old single mother of 3 children in our church. Money for her is difficult for her so our pastor insisted that she help the congregation by volunteering her skills as a cook for the church instead of giving money.

I have to comment one more time: I would really like to know (please email me) what is the biblical authority that tithing comes first–before paying the mortgage.

Under Mosaic law, there were only two types of income that were tithable: one was from agricultural production and the other was the increase of animals. For example, if you owned 100 cattle and during the spring, you were blessed with 50 additional calves, you would be required to give five of the calves as a tithe to God. Individuals with fewer than ten cattle did not have to tithe because the law only required that the tenth animal that passed under the rod was to be tithed. (Leviticus 27:32).

Furthermore, a large segment of the people in Israel did not tithe. For example, fisherman did not tithe. Also, hired hands and people who worked in the mining industry, lumber business and craft or other merchandising business were not required to tithe. Indeed, Jesus himself would not have been required to tithe.

What is the scriptural basis that one should be paying 10% to a church before paying for their home and taking care of their family.

If people are going to use the Bible as their basis for doing something, then they should follow the Bible as it is and not add or subtract from it. None of the churches that I have attended have tithed under the system set forth under the Old Testament. In fact, Christians do not follow any of the other ceremonial or civil laws set forth under Mosaic Law. On what authority from God do the modern day churches choose to obey part of the Mosaic Law and disregard the other? Further, what gives proponents of tithing the right to redesign the Biblically-based system of tithing under Mosaic law into a system they want to follow which will benefit them, but is clearly contrary to the Bible? If Christians want to argue that the Bible requires them to tithe based upon a purported Biblical mandate found in the Old Testament, then the church should follow all of the mandates—this would include the mandates on the minister/pastor not owning property or land, having other income and would also include the number of tithes that should be given, when and where the people should tithe, the purpose of the tithe and who should be given the tithe. After all, in Deuteronomy 12:32, God tells the Israelites that they are required to obey all of the commandments and not to add or subtract from them.

For example, as Christians today, would we support such barbaric practices as stoning to death women who engage in pre-marital sex (Deut. 22:13-21), stoning to death men who committed adultery with a married woman (Deut. 22:22), stoning to death children who are disobedient to their parents (Deut. 21:18), slavery (Deut. 15:12-17), or beating a man with up to forty stripes with a whip for committing a crime (Deut. 25:1-3)? Do we as modern Christians support the practice of men having multiple wives (Deut. 21:15) or the practice of ostracizing a woman by separating her from her family and friends during her menstrual cycle (Leviticus 15:19-24, Numbers 5:2)?

Under these same laws, we could not have tattoos on our bodies ( Lev. 19:28) or wear clothes made out of two different types of materials such as linen and wool. (Deut. 22:11) Our judicial system would put to death a woman who was raped who did not cry out for help (Deut 22:23-24). Kidnappers would also be put to death (Deut. 24:7) and a woman who grabbed the genitals of the man fighting her husband would have her hand cut off. (Deut. 25:11).

In coming to grips with such antiquated practices, I can only believe that these Laws were written to a very specific group of people (the Israelites), at a very specific time (before Christ’s Resurrection), for a very specific purpose (Until Christ Redeemed Us). In fact, I would argue that anyone who relies on following the Law is in grave danger. As Paul stated in Galatians 3:10: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.’” Stated otherwise, you cannot choose randomly which of the 600-plus ceremonial and civil laws in the Old Testament you will obey.

If you choose to follow the Law, you have to follow all of the Law. If you break one, you are cursed. Moreover, if we were bound by all of the ceremonial and civil laws set forth in the Old Testament, would we follow Moses’ instruction on the Laws to the Israelites when he spoke to them after their exodus from Egypt at the foot of Mount Sinai as set forth in the book of Leviticus (the instructions to the Priest) or would we follow Moses’ instruction to the new generation of Israelites about to enter the Promised Land on the east side of the Jordan River as set forth in Deuteronomy? These are questions that must be answered by proponents of tithing if they are going to use the Old Testament as the basis for supporting this practice.

Furthermore, even if a church is somehow going to reason that we are under these old laws with respect to the issue of tithing only (which there is absolutely no Biblical basis to separate the issue from tithing from other ceremonial and civil laws like the ones set forth above), then, at a minimum, the church should attempt to achieve the same purpose that God achieved when he imposed the duty on the Israelites to tithe in the first place. For example, if one reads the Biblical references to the system of tithing set forth under Mosaic law, it is clear that the purpose of the tithe was to make sure that those who had food would take care of those without food- i.e. the “Levites (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee), the stranger, the widow, which are within the gates. . .” so that they can “eat and be satisfied.” (Deut. 14:29) As set forth above, the only tithe that did not go to feed others was the festival tithe that was personally consumed before God. (See Deut. 14:22-29 quoted above).

KimInLosAngeles, you got it right. As i said in an earlier post, the tithe was the national tax for a theocratic nation. The Levites needed the food and goods so they could survive. They did not get paid. We do NOT live in a theocracy, and I wish we did and only had to pay 10% in tax. It was a command that obviously in time was not enforced, otherwise Malachi would not have mentioned it. The apostle Paul was a strict law-abiding Pharisee who obviously tithed and even he did not tell Christians to tithe. Instead he said “give generously” in 2 Corinthians 9:7. Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. If you believe that your church is worthwhile, give generously. There is no concrete law that God commands. That was for the theocracy of Israel. That should be the end of the discussion, but I’m sure there are a lot of pastors having seizures because they think everyone is a cheapskate and need to be pressured to give 10% on top of everything the government takes from us, leaving us struggling to pay our bills.

This is exactly why I am against organized religion. Seems to me that people should be able to worship any god they like without paying for the privilege. I simply don’t understand why anyone would donate to the church to the detriment of their well being. I understand making sacrifices for those less fortunate, but not at the expense of making you one of them. Like another commenter said, this goes against the whole “love thy neighbor” thing, because when you lose your home, you drive the value of your neighbors homes down. Sorry if my comments offend anyone, but I just don’t understand giving up your own well being for something that may or may not exist.

I think for many people who tithe they don’t really consider that money as theirs. Plenty of people who are losing their homes still pay their taxes. Is it surprising some people are more afraid of God’s wrath than the IRS?

Many people think the grace of God also has a lot to do with their success. Just as the society you live can have more to do with your standard of living than your own knowledge, experience or work habits.

Anyone who puts tithing above their mortgage (or other bills) is by *my interpretation* of Scripture worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV): “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

I don’t think tithe is a salvation issue. I haven’t read the comments, but by now I’m sure someone has addressed this . I tithe because I am called to do so. It feels good to give, and God himself is a giver (John 3:16!), and we were made in his image.

I’ll be honest: I do not tithe to church or charity. I feel guilty about this. And yet I don’t. It’s something I feel I should do, and yet I’m so incredibly protective of what I have. My rationale is always: “Once I take care of myself, I’ll take care of other people.” Yet what do I mean by “taking care of myself”? I don’t know.

I have a terrible time giving money to charity, even though I always felt I should. For me, not being able to give is tied directly to not being able to save. In both cases I feel a loss of control over my ability to use my own money.

Very interesting. I was raised Catholic, though I am currently not a member of an organized religion. When I was Catholic, I always gave as generously as I could to the church, though usually in terms of direct work for the church instead of money. When I see stories like these, where people deliberately give up in order to “trust to God” I am reminded of a story I was told.

A man is stuck on his roof during a flood. A rescue boat comes by to pick him up, but the man refuses, saying that he will trust to God. A helicopter comes by a little while later to rescue him, but the man again claims that he will trust to God. Eventually, the man drowns, and when he gets to heaven, he cries out “I trusted you! Why didn’t you save me?” God replies, “I sent a boat and a helicopter! What more did you want?”

Moral of the story, God doesn’t want you to kill yourself trusting to him!

God provides for His people, but not necessarily in the way that they want or expect. Home ownership may not be the way God provides for a particular person.

Also, God is sufficient, and those that believe in Him — homeless, bankrupt, thief, whomever — will have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Default, foreclosure may be God’s loving discipline. Even if the causes of the foreclosure seems out of the person’s control, the Bible makes it clear that believers will suffer (the book of Job comes to mind).

Besides, everything is God’s anyway; we all just get to borrow it for a while.

JD, thanks for the post. I have been contemplating a post on tithing for months and you just lite the fire. We have been tithing for three years this fall. A series of very bad financial decisions led us to a point of no return with our finances, or so we thought what the heck, why not get God involved. We did not actually hit rock bottom with our finances until after we began tithing and then things took a huge turn. Now we are within a year of having everything paid off except our home. I don;t think tithing in itself fixed our problems, but rather our attitude towards God and money led to solutions for our financial problems.

I must say, as a non-religious reader I’m extremely humbled by the conviction many religious posters have shown about their commitment to charitable giving.

JD – a steady monthly donation to charity, even if small, can be more valuable to an organization than a yearly donation because it can help them plan programming according to a stable budget.

I started donating to Doctors without Borders almost six years ago as a student, and I started at $10 a month. I’m now up to about $25 and it’s as much a part of my budget as my phone bill. It’s not much, and admittedly nowhere near 10% of my income, but I value it more for training me in the consistent practice of giving – one that I will build on for a lifetime.

Brian (nr. 22) says… “The lady who let the bank foreclose her house showed integrity in one commandment (tithe) and showed duplicity in another (paying your obligations). God also tells us to not cheat, steal, or lie. Failing to pay a debt is the same as cheating,stealing, or lying.”

This is what I thought. The Biblical command in the New Testament is to give as you are able. But there are many commands to pay your debts or meet your obligations, etc.

So, IMO, she is being ‘strict’ about a derived principle (the amount is from the OT but the command to give is from the NT), but ignoring a COMMAND about being honest, trustworthy, etc in her obligations.

There are plenty of biblical principles about money in the Bible. I think she should cut back on all her expenses equally and then see what she can do. She could see about working at the church (janitorial, gardening) and just having them “not pay her” in lieu of tithe.

Usually it isn’t an either/or situation. That’s usually just something drawn up to make controversy.

JD, if you do want to give and aren’t a member of a church anywhere, find a charity that you really believe in and start by giving 1%, etc. work up from there.

When you don’t really believe in anyone else, it is easy to keep it all, but when you begin to see others (worldwide) who have needs far greater than anything you have ever experienced and can find a trustworthy group who are helping, you will want to help.

As a christian, it is interesting to me that so many christians believe that the bible commands us to give 10% of our gross earinings every year as a tithe. That is not in the bible anywhere Old or New testament. The Old testament Jews tithed every third year, as commanded, to what we now would call the church. They also had other laws that required giving of first fruits, such as the first offspring of their flock. It is also interesting that in the new testament, most examples of giving were 100%. The bible also says that the “borrower is slave to the lender.”

I don’t think tithing is the point of this article. Tithing does not bring you to the brink of foreclosure. Neither does any other spending we do. It is the mishandling of ALL of our funds that brings us to the place of losing a home, car, or bankrupcy. The Bible does address money issues in many ways. It talks about planning for the future, diversivying your investments, and being prepared for a crisis. The Proverbs 31 woman referred to as the “wife of nobel character”, bought and sold, dealt with merchants, made investments, planned for what would come and was not found unprepared. If we make sound decisions with our finances, we won’t have to choose between giving and living. Deciding to leave off tithing may temporarily put a bandage on the situation, but in all probability not fix the underlying problem…overspending and underplanning.

As a Christian tithing is not a Christian principle. It’s a biblical principle yes, but the New Testament does not support it (and tithing really just means 10%, but in the biblical context it means 10% of everything, what you have and what you are still to get).

Now never in the bible is tithing cold hard cash. Never. I don’t understand where this “doctrine” comes from that we have to tithe money.

Then also, the Jews really tithed 23.3%. They had three tithes, why then do we only have to tithe 10% if we’re following the Jewish laws of tithing? (Yet we don’t follow the sabbath?)

Crazy!

Giving is wonderful though!

Also, the reason for foreclosure isn’t tithing it’s what you do with the other 90%…

The word tithe basically means tenth. If someone is doing it as a religious observance then they should just keep their money because they are missing the point. It is an individual decision whether to take on the discipline of systematic charitable giving. Generosity is a principle built into the very fabric of life.

During financial counseling if the right questions are asked you will usually find that the problem is not related to tithing but other factors such as poor work or spending practices.

Jesus made some of his harshest statements to religious people who practiced ritualistic tithing but missed the greater revelation of generosity.

I do tithe, and it is painful sometimes, since our tithe is 20% more than our next highest expense, our mortgage. But it does make me realize how blessed I am and makes me thankful for what I have. That being said, I chose a home that was very easily affordable even after my giving obligations. I also agree that it doesn’t make sense to obey in the tithing but disobey in the command to repay your debts. I think that in times of severe financial distress, it is allowable to suspend your tithe.

“While nonprofits around the country say tithing is an issue in some foreclosure cases, little data exist on the phenomenon because many counselors are trained not to bring up the sensitive issue with struggling home owners.”

The article claims only 5% tithe but makes no mention on what percentage of the %5 are actually going into foreclosure. Even if its 25% (which I’m sure it is much less) that is not a very large number.

The author has only one example and no other statistical data. Sounds like a stretch for a correlation between the two. The author should check the % of people under foreclosure that also have cable, internet, or their entertainment expenses (casino, eating out, movies).

JD, If you are interested in giving to charity, I would find an organization that you are interested in and start by giving time. I find that I give the most money to those charities that I’m the most involved with.

Giving is part of our budget, but like all other budget items if we were facing an emergency we would cut back the amount of money being given and increase the amount of time.

Simply using the only example you cited – a $500 a month mortgage and a $200 a month tithe – This woman has too much house already. Making $2000 a month and trying to afford a $500 a month mortgage is not sustainable, especially when you start factoring in upkeep and utilities.

She should be renting – and quite possibly with a roommate or two.

The problem in your example is not the tithe, but what she is doing with the rest of the money.

Parker (Comment #14) has a good point. Anyone who tithes regularly really needs to consider the amount that they tithe when purchasing a home. If your salary is $50,000 per year then you need to treat is as though you only make $45,000 per year when you’re deciding how much you can afford to borrow.

My wife and I have chosen to tithe 10% of what we earn. We’re also in the early stages of buying our first home. As we’ve been looking at our financial situation and evaluating what we can afford, we’ve had to keep this in mind. When using one of those online “how much can I borrow” tools I’ve found it’s easiest, for calculation purposes only, to list the amount that we donate weekly as a debt so the mortgage calculator accurately calculates that you’ll have $XXX less money each week. It was tough for us and for our banker to wrap our heads around that one.

Interesting topic, but I think your headline is misleading. My experience with Judeo-Christian tithing comes from Jewish, Muslim, and Catholic friends/education (though I am none of the above), but here is what I understand:
Tithing is God’s commandment for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is a reminder that all you have you owe to God’s blessing. Second, it is a reminder that you are connected to something greater than yourself, not just God, but also your community. And third, it is a testament to faith.

It is that last that I think is most important, and also the most troubling in this situation. Tithers who are at risk of losing their homes lack faith. If you truly believe in the lessons of tithing, you would understand that it is not just about giving X dollars on a regular basis, but *also* about managing the remaining in a way that demonstrates your faith and integrity. God doesn’t just want his 10%, he wants you to live with the other 90% in line with the rest of his commandments. Tithing should not be on auto-pilot.

So, it’s not tithing that is the problem. It’s the lack of awareness of what it means for your entire financial situation.
Anyway, good discussion!

Also, JD, regarding your own lack of giving. A major part of a successful financial life is lacking on your part, IMHO. Giving is what makes us appreciate the part we get to keep. As someone else pointed out, getting involved with your time first is a great introduction. I second that you should start with that, and giving of $ will naturally flow.

I think what Dave Ramsey means is that tithing is a discipline that shouldn’t be stopped just because you struggle with debt or live paycheck to paycheck. It is something that teaches you to put God 1st in your life even though you have other things going on. But in severe cases (foreclosure, creditors after you all the time, literally not being able to buy any food) then it is ok to stop tithing.

As an amateur Bible scholar, I find it interesting that the Old Testament does set forth 10% gross as the tithe, but Jesus in the New Testament says after you have taken care of your most basic needs, give *everything* away to the poor.

I’ve been in churches where it doesn’t matter who you are and what you do, you’re going to Heaven as long as you give the church 10% of your money. I didn’t last in those churches long.

I give money to my parish church, and I give money to four other organizations locally and abroad, religious and secular. I also donate time and my organizational skills to two of the groups I donate money to, and to top it all off, I sit on the Board of Directors of my church. I know where my money’s going. Because I’m the one directing it.

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